Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-14
BOWIECOUNTY HANGING
The First Execution In the County IN
Twenty-Eight Years-A Quiet and
Orderly Affair.
Jim Jones, OolOred, Hanged for Shooting
Cate Hicks, a Fellow Workman, In
August of 1856.
Special to the Gazette.


TExARKANA, TEX, May 13.-Jim Jones,
colored, was hanged here to-day at 1890 |
O'Clock, in the presence of about 5000 |
people, mostly colored, for the murder of !
Cate Hicks last August. Everything |
passed off in a quiet, orderly manner, and |
at this hour the city is as quiet as if moth |
ing had happened. During the forenoon
Jones was in consultation with his
spiritual advisors, both of the colored
Baptist church, and spent several hours
in devotional exercises. Your reporter
visited him for a few minutes, and
he expressed his entire resigna-
ton to his fate. Promptly at
noon, Sheriff Hargett and deputies,
escorted by the Rifles, appeared at the
jail and brought the prisoner forth and
placed him in an open hack and proceed
ed to the scaffold about one-half mile
south of the jail. Jones assembled the
scaffoId with a firm step and listened
with composure to the reading OF the
death warrant. He was then placed on
the trap, after which the Rev. Booth read
several verses from the Fifty-tirst Psalm
and offered up an impressive prayer.
The condemned man then made ramb-
ling, disconnected harrsngue OF about
twenty minutes duration, IN which
he asked his hearers to hunt him
up when they got to heaven. He closed
hy shouting: Farewell, everybody; you
will meet me close to the throne of my
Lord" The fatal moose was then adjust
ed and the black cap pulled over his
head. A blow from Ratchet was heard
and the body of Jones shot straight
downward six feet, gave few convulslVe
was broken, and he was pronounced dead
in nine minutes. At the end of thirty
minutes the body was taken down and
given over to his wife and her colored
friends, who carried it to the cemetery
and buried it. This is the first execution
that has taken place in Bowie county
since 1859.
HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
The crime tor which Jones this efter-
noon paid the penalty of his life was
committed August 6, 1886, at Bassett, in
this county, where he killed Cate Hicks,
also coIored. Jones was tie cutter and
Hicks was cook in the camp. On that
day at noon Jones went into the kitchen
and got cup of water and started out
with it, Hicks told him not to take it, as
water was scarce. Jones replied that he
didn't care if it was, he was going to
take it anyhow. Some hard language
ensued and Jones left the kitchen, re-
| turning in a few minutes with a
cooked revolver in his hand. He
walked up to Hicks and COM
menced cursing him and asked him If ne
didn't like his style. Hicks said he didn't
and Jones knocked him down with his
fist. Hicks retreated to the back part of
the room, where an empty gun stood,
when Jones exclaimed: "D-n you, keep
your hands off that gun," and fired his
revolver, the ball passing through Hicks
head and scattering his brains on the
floor Jones came to TeXarkana and gave
himself up to the Sheriff. At the October,
'86, term of the District Court OF Bowie
county he was placed on trial, and
Messrs. J. J. King and H. W. Vaughan
were appointed by the court to de-
fend him. They made a strong
defense, but Jones was found
guilty and sentenced to De hung in De
cember. His attorneys, however, OBJ
tanned q stay of execution and carried the
case up to the Court of Appeals, where 1t
was reviewed and judgment affirmed on
the 18th of November, 1886 Jones then
had to remain in Jail here until the Feb
ruary term of the District court before
his sentence could be pronounced. When
he was sentenced the second time, he
coolly informed the court to 60 ahead, he
didn't care. He was then transferred to
the Lamar county jail for safe-keeplng
and was brought back here on Wednesday
: night. His attorneys in the meanwhile
, have appealed for executive clemencY,
, but Governor Ross refused to
interfere. In rendering the opinion
of the Court of Appeals, Wilson, Judge
concluded as follows: "The conviction
is amply sustained by the evidence
, There IS no room to doubt defendant
committed the murder, and that he was
, actuated by express malice. 1t was de-
. liberate homicide, unprovoked and with
out mitigation. It is but justice that bt
y should suffer the extreme penalty OF The
law and the Judgment is affirmed, there
being no reason appearing to US why l
! should be set aside"
= PAST HISTORY.
: Jim Jones, the negro who was hung TO
;, day, was twenty-five years Of age, ant
, was q native of Aberdeen, Miss, iron
q which place he came to Tex
. arkana about four years ago. He had
y wife and two small children who ar
: living here. In an interview with
q GAZETTE reporter few hours previou
= to the execution, he stated that If tn
= same thing had to be done over again
~ would do it, as he thought himself per
) fectly iustifable. He said he had mad
:, his peace with his Savior and was read
to meet his Maker.